I Cut The Hose

It was another rainy day here in Brunswick, Georgia yesterday.  Combine that with lack of a car, and the absence of our 42" LCD television, and I had no excuse not to do boat projects.  It was time to finish the deck washdown.

I had already installed the deck fitting and ran the hose from it down to the locker I was going to install the pump in.  I had also run the hose from the locker to the head's seawater intake where I'd tee it in.

For some reason, I just wasn't with it yesterday.  Simple problems seemed complex.  It must be because I skipped breakfast, the most important meal of the day.  Or maybe it was because I also forgot to take all my meds.  I dunno.   But I had to ponder everything.  But everything eventually got done.

I know some of you are looking at the pic above and thinking "Hey Dave, why don't you throw a coat of paint in there.  It looks like crap."  You would be correct, of course, and my answer is "When I'm done doing eveyrthing else."   That means never.  Drift Away is a boat.  There are always things to do.

So with the hoses connected to the pump and everything wired in, it was time.  The last thing to do.  Either cut the cabinetry away from the seacock so I could properly close it, which would be the seamanlike thing to do, or to be a hack and just cut the hose.  I chose to be a hack.  I measured carefully.  You only get one shot at this.

I fetched my bag of tapered wooden plugs from their special place in the engine room (so I know exactly where they are should I need them), looked at the hose, guestimated a good cutting place, and slashed the hose with Pam's sharpest kitchen knife.  Water came gushing in, and even though I expected it and planned for it, this always gives a boater a twinge of oh-shit.  I jammed a wooden plug in the hose and stopped the flow.  I trimmed the cut hose, crammed them in the tee, put on hose clamps (yeah, I know, two clamps below the waterline.  Later.) and was done.  Now to turn everything on.

It took a minute for the pump to prime, but there it was.  A gusher.

I was so happy that I went directly to the victory beer without even putting away my tools.  Well, everything down there was soaking wet from cutting the hose, so tomorrow will be a better day to pick up.

The bottom of my anchor locker is plywood, which drains directly into the bilge.  I've mentioned before that stinky life forms evolve in the primordial soup of bilges.   Since all the chain is laying on the deck and the locker is empty, I should fiberglass over the plywood to seal it off from the bilge, and drill drain holes out the side of the boat.  I'm pretty sure it's above the waterline.  Only one way to find out.  If I have any left over glass mat, and if I can find it, maybe that's what I'll do on Sunday.